Nendo designed an airless football that never deflates!

Designed as a 54-part puzzle that can easily be assembled on-site, the My Football Kit by Nendo aims at creating a long-lasting football for low-income areas that doesn’t deflate or need re-inflating. The ball’s design is inspired by Japanese woven bamboo balls, with interlocking and interwoven elements that can easily be repaired or replaced on the fly.

Football is a sport that has universal appeal, with even countries in Africa, South America, and Asia being as (if not more) invested as their more affluent European counterparts. However, while footballs are easily and readily available, repairing or maintaining footballs can often be difficult for people from low-income neighborhoods, creating a class-disparity in being able to play the game long-term. Nendo’s answer to it is a ball that never needs inflating in the first place. Named the ‘My Football Kit’, Nendo’s solution is a 54-part puzzle that comes together to form a football. Made from recycled polypropylene and elastomeric synthetic resin components, the resulting ball is robust, soft, and bounces just as well as a regular football, but doesn’t need inflating. Instead, its interlocking pieces maintain the spherical shape of the ball thanks to their structural design.

The interlocking system designed into the football is so uniquely innovative, that even if a component breaks off or gets damaged, the ball will still continue to hold its shape and will not disassemble, ensuring the game goes on uninterrupted. To fix the ball, its missing component can be replaced, and if broken, can be easily repaired. This makes maintaining the football much simpler and provides a much more economically effective alternative to buying a new football or a pump.

All 54 pieces of the My Football Kit come disassembled in a flat-package (sort of like IKEA furniture) to reduce their carbon footprint while shipping. They can easily be assembled on-site (giving people a fun pre-game activity), and the possible inclusion of colored components allows players to customize their football too, helping build a bond between the user and product. A drawstring bag comes included in the kit too, so the owner of the ball can easily carry it back home – either intact or disassembled!

Designer: Nendo for Molten

Michelin Plans to Produce Airless Tires by 2024

Forget having to fill up your car tires ever again. Airless tires are where it’s at. Soon you won’t have to worry about getting flat tires and filling them up to the proper pressure levels. The Uptis (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System) is a line of airless tires that Michelin and GM have teamed up to launch on some consumer vehicles by 2024.

This new airless rubber tire is supported by flexible spokes. They can’t go flat, and will supposedly last longer than normal tires. This is in part due to the punishment a lot of regular tires suffer from under or over-inflating. Sure, they don’t look very stylish, but they will be a lot less hassle than air-filled tires.

The real question is how these tires will perform after being exposed to the weather for a few years. They will be in the hot baking sun, harsh winters, and wet climates. I guess we will find out soon how well these handle the weather. Also, those slots on the side are going to get caked with mud and other debris, so that might create another problem.

The first Michelin Uptis tires are expected roll out sometime before 2024 with the Chevrolet Bolt EV likely to be the first production vehicle to get them.

[via Fast Company via Geekologie]

GM and Michelin will bring airless tires to passenger cars by 2024

Airless tires for everyday cars might soon be far more practical. GM and Michelin have unveiled a prototype of Uptis (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System), a Michelin-made tire intended for passenger cars. It looks like Tweel and other air-free conce...

ERW Airless Bicycle Tires: Never Get A Flat Again

Anyone who’s gotten a flat tire on their bike before knows how painful it can be to change it out. However, if you’re running runflat tires, this won’t be a problem, since your tire won’t have any innertube or air chamber at all.

erw airless bicycle tire

This airless bicycle tire concept is by Colorado-based designer Brian Russell. The tire would eliminate the need for air, preventing punctures, tube replacement, and pressure checks. The Energy Return Wheel (or ERW) uses rubber that’s stretched over a series of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite rods to provide cushioning. These rods can be adjusted to change the tension in the tire to suit different terrain.

While it won’t be suited to all terrains, it should work pretty well in most situations.

erw airless bicycle tire trail

For now it’s just a prototype, but I have no doubt that this, or something very similar will be made someday.

erw airless bicycle tire close

[via designboom]